Page 53 of Aofie's Quest
“What’s wrong?” She studied my face. “You look…shaken.”
My shoulders sagged. “I had an audience with the queen.” Quickly I filled her in, unable to hide the fact that I felt like the queen did not want me to leave.
Takari pressed her lips together before taking a seat at the table. She dropped her head into her hands and massaged her forehead before looking up at me. “It’s time, Aofie. We’ve been here long enough. My people are safe here, but I want to continue my search.”
The lost faun, I recalled. “You’re coming with me?”
“If you’ll have me. The woods here are beautiful and wild, but they aren’t my woods. I want to return to the wild, to the trees. And Aofie, I’ve taken a liking to you. I’d like to help, if I can.”
Warmth surged through me at her words. I had a friend. “It’s going to be dangerous,” I told her.
“Psh, danger.” She waved her hand, sending a blue haze into the air. “But you’ve been studying magic. You understand it.”
Nodding, I perched on the edge of the bed. “We need supplies, but part of me wants to leave, taking nothing from here, and figure it out as we go. I can hunt…”
“It’s spring, though,” Takari protested. “The fields will not be ripe for foraging and what game we catch will be lean.”
“Still.” I shrugged. “It doesn’t feel right, taking from this place when we are guests.”
The words rang false on my lips, when there was one thing I wanted—the very thing I should not take with me.
“Listen.” Takari spread out her hands on her lap. “I’ll find Romulus. I believe he has returned. At the very least, we need weapons, and nothing will look odd if Romulus takes extra supplies. He comes and goes as he pleases.”
I wondered why that was, but I did not remark on it, guessing it might be because of his loyalty to the queen. I must have frowned, for Takari went on. “Do you not trust Romulus?”
I clasped my hands together. “I do. It’s just…” I didn’t know how to explain the confusion that fogged my thoughts regarding Romulus.
“We don’t have to talk about it.” Takari rose. “I’ll find him. It’s best if we aren’t seen together again until it is time to leave. Let’s meet on the other side of the bridge at sundown.”
“Wait.” I held up a hand but kept my eyes on the floor, afraid she’d read what was on my face. “I’ll meet you at the gates, before midnight. Wait for me there.”
“Aofie?”
“Trust me,” I begged.
Chapter Forty-Five
I said goodbye to Tiwyn,who had slipped into my room before supper, bringing a tray of food, traveling clothes, and knives. I hugged her before she left, but we did not exchange words. I think she knew what was about to happen, and she squeezed me tight. Again, I thought if I ever was blessed to have a daughter, I hoped she’d be like Tiwyn, strong and brave and determined. If I had a daughter, I’d never leave her in the wilds to be raised by those I did not know. I’d never force her to become someone she did not wish to be and turn my back on her. Although, as I unwrapped the package Tiwyn left me, I wondered if she’d forsaken me because I reminded her of what my father had done. After all, she’d been tricked. I pushed the puzzle away and pulled on my new clothes.
Instead of more dresses, I found a leather sheath that fell to my hips, leggings, and boots that rose to my knees. The clothing molded to me. I fastened a belt around my waist and tucked the two knives inside, grateful for weapons. At last, I pulled on the dark green cloak and waited for the cover of the moonless night before stealing out of my room.
Low voices echoed around me, smooth and easy. I caught lovers kissing in an alcove and slipped away, grateful for my ability to move like the elven, effortlessly, silently. Using my magic, I felt the air around me, magic calling to magic. It was tricky, but I needed to know if anyone else was around and might hinder my desire. Stilling my heartbeat, I crept from shadow to shadow, following the path I’d taken long ago, away from the crystal palace, into the wood.
I forced myself not to think, just to act, and swiftly. I reached the tree, and instead of going inside and running into any who might be hiding there, I began to climb. Tree climbing was a frequent activity in the Beluar Woods, and the skill came back to me quickly. Gripping with my knees, bottom of my feet, and hands, I scaled the tree as if I were a squirrel, until I reached the branches. Using them as leverage, I swung upward to my dangerous perch. As I hoped, the tree hung directly over the crystal palace, but the branches were thin near it. Ignoring my trepidation, I crouched on a solid branch and then moved with a burst of energy, shooting over the smaller branches and leaping, praying my landing would not attract attention.
Indeed, I landed with a soft thump on the rooftop and immediately scrambled down the slanting roof to the window. The crystal was thick but much slicker than I’d imagined. Each move made me slide forward, and even in the bleakness of the night, I knew one wrong move would send me tumbling to my death. Barely breathing, I lay flat on my belly and inched, head first, toward the window below me.
A sound gave me pause, but it was only the cooing of a bird. A flutter of feathers ruffled the silence, and I continued, for the red glow called to me. Reaching over the edge, I pushed at the window, wondering if it would be locked. If so, everything was in vain, for I knew no magic to combat locks. The window gave the slightest bit before I recalled that windows usually opened outward. Fitting my fingers around the pane, I pulled, almost snapping my fingernails off. It opened a crack, and I breathed out, coaxing it all the way open.
Turning my body, I wiggled my feet down until they hung over the sill of the open window. I closed my eyes as I inched down the roof, little by little, until the crystal become too slick. I slid down and inside with a bump. I rolled onto the ground, hardly daring to believe I was still alive after that feat. But I was. Rising to my feet, I took a step as the hall of magical weapons stretched out before me. The window had given me access to the entrance where the red sword glowed, encased in what looked like glass.
Aware of the other magical elements in the room, I took a step, but the sword called to me as though it were mine already. I recalled my magic lessons. Donia had taught me that magical elements could be protected, safeguarded, and hidden from others. But a magical item would always answer the call of its master or mistress, whether it was passed by bloodline or promised to another. My mother wanted me to take up the red sword. If it truly belonged to me, my words would break Queen Iris’s magic and the sword would be mine.
I stretched out my hand, fingers shaking as I remembered Takari’s sharp words. No one should ever take up the red sword, for it controlled instead of being controlled. But I didn’t care. A need akin to carnal lust rose within me and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, I would not leave Anon Loam without taking the sword with me.
My fingers pressed against the cool glass, and a hum rose throughout my body. I closed my eyes and tapped into my magic, seeing the sword in my hands. “Claíomh Dearg.”
A crackling filled the air, the sound of shards of glass buckling and breaking. Eyes wide, I hurled myself out of the fray, spinning to the entrance, which was naught but a dark hall, certain someone had heard the noise. My eyes darted to the window, which hung open, the wind gently blowing the shutters back together. At last, my eyes turned to where the sword had been. An unearthly red glow came up from it, and for a moment I thought of death and destruction and fire and brimstone.
